Police: No evidence to support sex assault allegations

DERRY, N.H. (AP) — Police said Friday they found no evidence to support allegations that students at a New Hampshire high school sexually assaulted their fellow students.

On Thursday, Timothy Powers, the headmaster of Pinkerton Academy in Derry, wrote a letter to the school community, saying the allegations were "deeply disturbing" and were reported to the state Department of Children and Youth Services. The school also contacted an independent investigator to assist with an internal review.

But on Friday, after some students protested outside of the school, Derry Police Capt. Vern Thomas released a statement saying the allegations, first posted via Snapchat, yielded no names of possible victims nor details of any crimes. He said police had conducted "dozens of interviews" with students and worked with Pinkerton's school resource officer on their investigation.

Thomas said the Snapchat message alleged that 12 female students had been sexually assaulted by a male student and when they reported it to school staff, the school would not take any action. The message had been reposted and shared. The school resource officer spoke with Pinkerton Academy staff, who indicated no such reporting had occurred.

Thomas said it appears no crimes were committed as alleged in the Snapchat posting.

Julia Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the school, responded, "Moving forward, we will continue to encourage honest dialogue with our student body about sexual assault."

About 3,300 students attend Pinkerton Academy.

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This story has been corrected to show that Pinkerton is not a private academy.